Self-reversing trolley bucket



` June 16, 1931. H. E, HLLENBECK 1,810,603

SELF REvERsING -tLRoLLEY BUCKET Filed Nov. l1. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 75 Hof-:Tuvo

CONTACT INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 16, 1931.

H. E. HALLENBECK Filed Nov. l1. 1929 2 -Sheets-Sheet Hf?. Hallenbew ko/wwwa v Patented June 16, 1931 oNrrso stares PATENT oFFicE HARoLD EQ HALLENB-RCK, or HUDsoN,- NRW voRmiAssIGNoR TovGiFroRD-wooln 00M- 1PA-NY, or HUDSON, NRW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK sELr-REVERSING TRoI-.IJJYv BUCKET Application filled November 11, 17929. Serial'No. 406,470.

This 'invention relates to `trolley bucket installations, for handling coal, sand, gravel and the like; andamong other objects, it aims' to provide a bucket of this character with a limitswitch or limit' switches, so constructed and ar'rarige'dthat descent of the bucket is automatically stopped as the material being piled is reached, thev bucket then discharging and automatically starting up again.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Fig. l vis a diagrammatic view of a trolley bucket witlia limit switch lmounted thereon, iff accordancewith the invention;

F 2 isa wiringdiagram; and A Fig; Sis 'a perspeetivej-lof atypical trolley bucket installation, omittingthe'pit 'or pocket into which the bucket descends.A l

In accordance with the invention, a bucket 5, preferably` of substantially thej` same: constructionas the one claimed in Patent No. 1,741,123, datedD'ecember' 24', 1929,-'has trip pads enfery tripping" the latches which hold th'e bottom leaves inlv closed position. These trip pads are so constructed and arranged that' they will' come contact with the coal or other materalfhehg Vhandled before the bucketproper reaches the pile,`thus opening the; bucket just" as' the top of the p'ileisl encountered, f c

f Heretofore, it has been' necessary for the .operator (who is almost invariably unable to see' the' materialas it ldiscli'argz'u's from the bu'c'ket)f' to reverse the hoist motor when he thinksthe material is discharged, thu'seleva-ting thejpbi'icket. There is much time`v lost, `in the course of 'a dayls work, while an' operator brings-a bucket tol stop, waits a moment for the discharge, and starts it up again. Operators are" usually not particularly impressedbythe value of eliminating a few sec* ends delay in effecting each operation, vand f frequently are deliberately dilatory. Hence,

automatic return oftheI bucket ifs a most de# sirable feature of 'a trolley bucketV installation.

Thev preferredi form of the invention hasa limit'switch` 7 mountedfon'the bucket and connected by wilresi running through a'y cable Sito' the circuitwhich controls the hoist motor. asfshowh, the limit' switchl is set to permit lowering of the bucketv except as it is released bythe trip pad'upo'n contact of the latter with the pile. When so moved, a circuit is completedwh'ich reverses the motor', initiating hoisting'. CableS may be' a very light weight rope, so as to have no tendency to tilt the bucket and spill its contents. l l The` reversing of limitswitch 7 is biased by a compression spring 9 to open the lowering circuit, and is released (by Contact with the pilel ofalk member carried by the bucket) to'close the hoisting circuit, as Fig-2 shows, Preferably, asshown, the trip padsG are used torelease the limit switch; but obviouslya separately pivoted o'rfslidable member (not shown) projecting downwardly from some part of the bucket may be used to release the limit switch. As the pile rises, necessarily thev descent of thebucketbe'comes less: hence a motor driven limit switch cann'otbe used.

In order to makeV it practicable to mount a motor'governi-ng switch on the bucket, the

cable 8`-is carried on a drum l0 lwhichis a Towne'aprniieauon ser. No. 146,890', owned by the assignee of this application.- The drum lOiscarried on the trolley from which the bucket is' hung `by a 2-fall hoist line, as will beL understood from said Towne application. The retrieving action may be obtained by'a counterweight lland cable l2 wound re versely aboutthe shaft of drumlO or about another drum 13, as shown. Instead of a 'counterweighu springs may be used, as when the counterweight would bel impracticable on account `ofin-terferencewith Athe bin walls. Thewireslt, which are 4carried bythe cable 8, are ledto insulated conductors (not shown) insidedruin 10', which conductors are connected to insulated slip rings l5 with which brushes 16L contact,wires V14a connecting with the-motor control circuit 'and push button cirmaybe eitherof theslipv ring or squirrel eageftype, preterablyjthe former.

In the operation oi the bucket, during descent the lowering contactor, shown in Fig. 2, will be closed and its auxiliary contact will be open. The circuit holding the lowering contactor closed includes wires 14, 14L and the closed limit switch 7. Then tripper 6 comes in contact with the pile of material it is forced upwardly so as to cause compression spring 9 to force open the limit switch contacts, which breaks the circuit th'rough'wires 14, 14a, thus causing the lowering contacter to open, stopping the ydown motion of the bucket. When this happens, the auxiliary contact closes, thus completing the circuit through wires 20, 2Ol to the hoisting contactor coil, thus closing the hoisting contacter by electro-magnetism. This initiates the upward motion of the bucket.

As the motor is provided with a solenoid brake (Fig. 2), ,as soon as the current is cut off, the motor is stopped, and in themeantime the connections have been reversed as described, releasing the solenoid brake and starting the bucket up again. The reversal of the motor takes place almost immediately, without injury to the motor, and without even a time relay being used, .as Fig. 2 shows. The bucket startsdumping before it actually reaches the pile and completes its dumping as it starts to rise, which is advantageous when handling coal, as breakage is thereby reduced to a minimum.

Obviously the present invention is 'not restricted to thevparticular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is :w-

'1. An electrical trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, a dumping bucket; a trip pad on the bottom'ot the bucket; a latch normally holding the bucket closed and disengaged upon upward movement of the trip pad, as when the trip pad comes in contact with the pile of material; a limit switch on the bucket and arranged to be operated by the trip pad; a reversible motor for hoisting and lowering the bucket; and electrical circuits controlled by said limit switch, said circuits having reversing contactors and control switches for eiiecting lowering of the bucket until the limit switch is moved, then automatic o stopping of the bucket, and then immediate hoisting automatically. n

2. An electrica-l trolley bucket installation comprising, inf combination, a dumping bucket; a limit switch on the bucket; a reversible motor for hoisting and lowering the bucket; switch operating means on the bucket arranged to move the switch as the bucket comes in contact with. the pile of material; and electrical connections for effecting automatic stoppage and reversal of the motor upon such. movement of the switch.

3. An electrical trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, ka dumping bucket; a limit switch on the bucket; switch operating means on the bucket arranged to move the switch as the bucket comes in contact with the pile of material; a reversible motor for hoisting and lowering the bucket; electrical connections for effecting automatic stoppage and reversal of the motor upon such movement of the switch; said electrical connections comprising wires leading to the limit switch and means electrically connected to said wires for reversing the motor; a cable sheathing the wires; and a retrieving drum for automatically winding up and paying out the cable as the bucket rises and descends.

4. An electrical trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, a trolley movable back and forth along a track; a bucket suspended from the trolley by a hoist line and traveling therewith; an electric motor for said hoist line; a drum rotatably mounted on the trolley; a limit switch on the bucket; means on the bucket to move the limit switch when the underside of the bucket comes in contact with a pile of material; conductors connected to the limit switch and extending up to the drum; means to eiiect automatically winding up of the conductors on the drum; and means electrically connected through the drum with said conductors to cause automatic reversal of the bucket whenever, during lowering, its limit switch is moved by contact of the bucket with the material.

5. An electrical 'trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, a trolley movable back and forth along a track; a bucket suspended rfrom the trolley by a hoist line and traveling therewith; an electric motor for said hoist line; a limit switch on the bucket; means on the bucket to move the limit switch when the underside of the bucket comes in contact with a pile of material; conductors connected to the limit switch; said conductors being electrically connected with slip rings on the drum shaft; brushes in contact with lthe slip rings; wires connected to said brushes; and a motor control circuit comprising a hoistingcontactor, a lowering contacter, a control switch for eiiecting hoisting, a control switch for effecting lowering, and an auxiliary contact on the loweringcontactor for effecting automatic reversal of the motor when the bucket is lowered into contact with the pile of material.

6. An electrical trolley bucket installation comprising, in combination, a trolley movable back and forth along a track; a bucket suspended from the trolley by al hoist line and traveling therewith; an electric motor for moving said hoist line; a drum rotatably mounted on the trolley; a limit switch on the bucket; means on the bucket to move the limit switch when the underside of the bucket comes in contact with a pile of material; conductors lconnected to the limit switch and extending upjto the drum; means to effect automatically winding up of the conductors on the drum; said conductors being electrically connect-ed with slip rings on the drum shaft; brushes in Contact with the slip rings; wires connected to said brushes; and a motor control circuit comprising a hoisting contactor, a lowering contaotor'7 a control switch for effecting hoisting, a control switch for eHecting lowering, and an auxiliary Contact on the lowering cont-actor for effecting automatic reversal of the motor when the bucket is lowered into contact with the pile of material.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

HAROLD E. HALLENBECK. 

